More rapid processing of silver halide color photographic materials (hereinafter referred to sometimes as light-sensitive material) has been demanded in recent years. In the processing of recent types of color paper, color development has been generally carried out by rapid processing of about 45 seconds since high silver chloride emulsions were used. In the processing of color negative for photographing, however, a processing time of about 31/4 minutes (hereinafter referred to as standard processing) has been used as general color development time until today, since processing agent C-41 for color negative was developed by Eastman Kodak in 1972. This is because the high silver chloride emulsions used in color paper can be rapidly developed in comparison with silver halide emulsions containing silver iodide used in color negative films for photographing from the viewpoint of rapidly conducting color development, but sufficiently high sensitivity can not be obtained and hence the high silver chloride emulsions can not be used in the color negative films for photographing.
For this reason, it has been conventionally proposed that the rate of development can be expedited by increasing the development activity of color developing solutions to shorten the development time of the color negative films containing silver halide emulsions containing silver iodide. Methods for increasing the development activity of the color developing solutions include a method using color developing solution having a higher pH; a method wherein the processing temperature is elevated; a method wherein the concentrations of developing agents are increased; and a method wherein development accelerators are used. Examples of the development accelerators conventionally known include thioether compounds described in JP-B-37-16088 (the term "JP-B" as used herein means an "examined Japanese patent publication"), JP-B-37-5987 (corresponding to British Patent 950089) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,813,247, p-phenylenediamine compounds described in JP-A-52-49829 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") and JP-A-50-15554, quaternary ammonium salts described in JP-A-50-137726, and amine compounds described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,494,903. However, it was found that when these methods for increasing the development activity of the color developing solutions are used, problems are caused, namely, fogging is caused, only low sensitivity is obtained in comparison with standard processing, etc., though the rate of development is increased.
Further, JP-A-63-38937, JP-A-63-40144 and JP-A-63-136044 disclose that rapid color development is carried out by controlling the swelling rate or thickness of the light-sensitive materials or increasing the concentrations of developing agents in the color developing solutions. However, it was found that there are problems because an increase of density in unexposed areas (that is, a lowering in S/N ratio) is liable to be caused and sufficient sensitivity can not be obtained, though the rate of development can be increased.